Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Denies Kicking Bands Off Shows

In 2005, Megadeth caused controversy when two other acts scheduled to perform Israel's Metalist Festival were thrown off the bill. In a new interview, founder Dave Mustaine clarified what happened.

Speaking to the Israeli radio show Met Al Meta,' Mustaine, a born-again Christian, said that he was wary of being surrounded by people that could have a bad influence over him after his 2002 stint in rehab. After expressing his issues to the promoter, Dissection and Rotting Christ were removed.

"I never said that I hated anybody; I just didn't wanna play with them," he explained. "I was so curious to see the poster for the concert, because it was written in the Hebrew font, or script, or whatever you call it, and then I saw the band Dissection and I thought, 'Well, that's a cool name.' And I looked it up and I went, 'Uh-oh.' So I told the promoter, I said, 'Look, we can't play. We're not gonna play that festival.' I never said, 'Kick them off.' That was the promoter's mistake. The promoter kicked them off. It's hard enough as it is in music to get concerts, so I would never kick a band off one of my shows; I would rather me not do it. And when I said, 'Look, we don't wanna do it,' they, unfortunately, harmed that band."

Dissection frontman Jon Nodtveidt had ties to a Swedish Satanic cult, and, beginning in 1997, spent seven years in prison after being convicted of being an accessory to murder. Nodtveidt died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot in 2006.

Megadeth eventually played a show with Dissection, but as for Rotting Christ, Mustaine said, that they "had a name that was kind of offensive to me. But, you know, that's a personal thing. It has nothing to do with their band or their quality of music or them as a person...What you've gotta understand is my decision not to play with them doesn't have anything to do with their value and worth as people, because I'm sure they're probably really great people. Sometimes we name our bands stuff to get a reaction out of people, and it's not really who or what we are."

Earlier this year, Megadeth were blamed for having Jason Newsted's eponymous band removed from the bill of Australia's Soundwave Festival. Mustaine denied his involvement, and subsequently pulled out after an apology by the promoter was not offered.